Nice Guy: Episode 4

Wires get crossed and double-crossed as we get manipulation going on with every side, which is really making it hard to tell where playtime ends and real feelings begin. If there’s one thing I love unreservedly about this show, aside from all the things I love unreservedly, it’s every interaction between Eun-ki and her Wicked Stepmother. These two just set the screen on fire. Who knew that watching mortal enemies clashing could be so fun?

Nice Guy took a tiny dip in ratings, but still managed to keep its number one spot at 13.3%.

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EPISODE 4 RECAP

Exercise turns out to be the best way to reminisce over past lovers, since Maru takes a jog and thinks about Jae-hee, while Jae-hee takes a much more ritzier jog as she thinks about him.

We rewind a bit to see the rest of last night’s conversation, where Maru took Eun-ki up on her offer to meet again and pretty much just asks when and where. Jae-hee has the nerve to look devastated that he’ll be seeing Eun-ki again, enough to where she falters on her treadmill and almost falls off.

Luckily, or unluckily for her, Eun-ki’s right there. She gives Jae-hee the equivalent of “Why so serious?” as she talks about the wedding like it’s nothing, and that she sees right through Jae-hee. Them’s fighting words.

Eun-ki must be really steamed about this wedding, since her bitchiness level is at about a ten right now. Jae-hee finally caves and asks Eun-ki how she knows Maru, and Eun-ki’s reaction makes it seem like everything with Maru was just a way to rile Jae-hee up.

It works, since Jae-hee starts pestering Eun-ki with questions a jealous ex would ask, like how far she went with Maru, how well she knows him, etc. Eun-ki jumps on that and asks, faux-innocently, “By chance, you don’t have any interest in him as a man, do you?” Score one for Eun-ki.

I just love when these two are together, because their hateful chemistry is tops. But there’s an interesting moment where Jae-hee could almost pass for sincere, when she tells Eun-ki that Maru approached her knowing her background, and that “He doesn’t look like a good person.”

Eun-ki: “Even if he did approach me knowing who I am and what my background is, I don’t care. Since I’ve already experienced Han Jae-hee, what else do I, Seo Eun-ki, have to be scared of?”

But Jae-hee seems to be genuine in warning her that in the end, out of her and Maru, Eun-ki will be the one getting hurt.

Choco worries that she’s only a burden to Maru, but then proceeds to list all the times she’s helped him, like that time she saved him from a crazed stalker, or that time she maybe helped him do dishes. Maru just plays into it all, “Thank you, Kang Choco. Thanks to you, Oppa has lived.” Hee.

Looks like Choco has aspirations to be a singer, since we find her anxiously waiting for a chance to audition… only the moment she opens her mouth to sing, a harsh, nervous whisper comes out instead. Cringe.

She fails the audition, and fails to put on a bathroom performance for a child afterward.

But then, she pulls up a picture of Jae-gil on her phone and is finally able to sing by looking at his face. (New love line alert.)

Joon-ha is sleuthing in Maru’s neck of the woods, and shows a picture of Jae-hee to one of the neighborhood ajummas, and she reacts strangely by over-insisting that she’s never seen Jae-hee before. Hm.

Of course, Joon-ha’s got a spy in Secretary Jo, who calls Lawyer Ahn up to report on Joon-ha’s actions. He admits that the neighbors have been paid off to lie, which explains the nervous ajumma. But whatever this whole thing with Jae-hee and Maru is, Secretary Jo and Lawyer Ahn want to keep it under wraps.

Before the smooch the night before, Jae-hee had confidently told Lawyer Ahn that she knew he’d liked her for a long time. Flash back to their first meeting, when Jae-hee was still a reporter and had stubbornly invited herself into the Executives Only elevator, where Lawyer Ahn was.

She was just as fearless before as she is now, and that moment seems to be where the whole not-quite-an-affair began.

Speaking of affairs, it’s pretty ironic that Dad gets taken for some air by his most trusted companion, Lawyer Ahn Min-young. He asks Min-young bluntly, “Eun-suk’s mother… what kind of person is she?”

Dad wants to know if she’s someone he can trust, since he admits that he doesn’t trust women. “Han Jae-hee. She’s probably different, right? She probably won’t betray me, right?”

You almost feel bad for him, especially when Min-young reassures him that Jae-hee is nothing but sincere. Dad has no reason to suspect Min-young, but I can’t wait to see if/when he finds out that Jae-hee and his most trusted companion have been plotting behind his back.

By the time Jae-hee and Eun-ki are out of the gym, Jae-hee’s already got a smile plastered on… which fades in an instant the moment she sees Maru, who’s come to pick Eun-ki up. “We decided to meet right after we open our eyes,” he reminds her.

It’s strange, because we know Eun-ki is putting on a show for Jae-hee, but is Maru doing the same? I love the little touch of her asking Maru if he waited long, and his reply, “No. About two hours?” Like two hours is just a drop in the bucket when waiting for her majesty Eun-ki.

Maru finally greets Jae-hee as though their first meeting was last night, when he brought Eun-ki home. Eun-ki has a little roll of the eyes here, which must be because she knows that’s a lie.

Eun-ki introduces Jae-hee as the person who will be marrying her father soon, almost as if to remind Jae-hee that she has no ground to stand on in the jealousy department, since she’s a taken woman.

This scene is LOADED. Maru claims that he remembers Jae-hee from her days as an anchorwoman, and admits that he was her fan. When Jae-hee collects herself enough to politely thank him, Maru finishes: “But, not anymore. Unfortunately.”

And he drops his smile, just like that. Aw yeah. Jae-hee is rattled, but they’re all interrupted with Dad’s arrival.

I didn’t think it was possible for things to get any tenser, but they do as soon as Dad asks about Maru. Eun-ki: “He is someone I am dating.” And you just see Jae-hee trying to swallow that news.

Dad invites Maru to a fancy family brunch, all while Jae-hee looks like she’d rather be anywhere but there. He’s interested in Maru as the first person Eun-ki’s ever introduced as her boyfriend, and gives him the normal interview runaround we normally see our poor-but-plucky stock drama heroines receive. I like this turnaround.

To Dad’s credit, it’s like he wants to like Maru, but Maru’s past doesn’t allow it. He explains how both his parents are dead and that he dropped out of college to become a bartender.

That’s a hard pill to swallow already, but it’s worse when Dad probes further on the college issue and Maru answers plainly: “It’s not that I quit. I was expelled.” Jae-hee is sweatin’ like a whore in church at this point, and though Maru has been forthcoming so far he finally admits, pretty boldly, that he doesn’t want to answer any more questions.

This riles Dad up, and it’s strange to see Maru sending pointed looks Jae-hee’s way, as though he’s doing this all on purpose since it rattles her deeply. Her hands are shaking so much in her lap that Min-young secretly reaches under the table to hold her hands still.

Dad turns his anger onto Eun-ki for not knowing enough about Maru’s past, but Eun-ki retorts that the past doesn’t matter – she only cares about their present and future together.

Eun-ki: “And what about you, Chairman? The person you decided to marry, even at a younger age than myself, wanted to be your woman when you already had a wife and a child. The person who seduced you. There is only a five-year age difference between her and your daughter. How much do you know about the hidden two-faced person that she is, and how much do you really know about her past?”

Oh. Crap. Gauntlet thrown. Dad pays her back by throwing a glass of water in her face, and all but threatens to write Eun-ki out of his will. He addresses Jae-hee and talks as if Maru isn’t there, telling her to get rid of him at any costs… because looking out for one’s child is a parent’s duty.

“If Eun-ki’s mom were alive, she would have done those things for her. So why don’t you take over for her now?” Dad asks.

Eun-ki goes running after him, leaving Jae-hee and Maru alone in the room. He asks her whether her world is really as nice as she says, and asks how much she’ll pay him to keep him away.

He sarcastically asks if she’ll give him the same one million dollars she tried to pay him off with before. She then demands to know what his objective is, and he turns on her fast: “What do you think I’m doing?”

With that prompt, Jae-hee’s paranoia takes over as she desperately fishes for the right answer. Does he want money? She has money to spare. Does he want revenge? It’s worthless. Jae-hee: “Be practical instead. Ask for money! You sell your body for money anyway, don’t you?” Ooof.

She’s not using it as a jab, but because it’s reasonable to her for him to take money, care for Choco, and live richly like everyone else. Maru finally loses his cool as he tells her that that line of thinking is the very reason he wants to take her back.

Maru: “I don’t know how glamorous, splendid, and great your world is. But that’s not where you belong. A person like you shouldn’t be there.” He claims that she’s living in the very world she bitterly despised during her days as a reporter, which is exactly why she can’t stay.

“If you can’t come down from there,” Maru continues, “I’ll go up there. I’ll go up and bring you down. I’ll kill your world. Pack your bags and wait until I come get you.”

Jae-hee asks if the place where he thinks she belongs is the slums she used to live in. Maru: “No. Even that place would be an honor for you.” Buuuuurn. BURN. Ouch, that even hurts me.

Eun-ki is waiting for Maru outside, and he uses a handkerchief to help pat her hair dry. He asks if she’s planning on quitting, and reassures her that he didn’t take the money and that he’ll be fine if her dad sends thugs to beat him.

But Eun-ki seems to be more in the “It was fun while it lasted” camp, which has Maru taking a proactive role to court her compared to his aloof dismissal before, which we now know is because of Jae-hee. He tries to tell her that they haven’t even been dating for twelve full hours yet.

“It may not be twelve hours since we’ve known each other, but it feels like we’ve been dating for twelve months. I just fell for you,” Eun-ki replies. “Even though it’s embarrassing and hurts my pride.” Hmm. I wonder how much of this is true. Maybe it’s all true.

She offers her hand for a goodbye handshake, but Maru instead proposes a goodbye kiss, maybe in a different setting. (I see what you did there, Maru.) He claims it’s felt like a hundred years since he met a woman he likes, so it’d be a waste to end things without a kiss.

Jae-gil’s girlfriend finds Choco working at a coffee shop, and blames her for the jealous doodling she did on one of their pictures together. Choco denies liking him, saying “My ideal guy is Ashton Kutcher, alright?” And Jae-gil’s girlfriend snaps back: “My Oppa looks like Ashton Kutcher!”

…Which Choco admits is true, after a pause. Hah. His girlfriend sees right through her and knows she has a thing for Jae-gil, who pops through the door right as she’s faking tears and calls her YOO-RA. (I love the running “I’m naturally pretty without plastic surgery” joke.)

Yoo-ra cries to Oppa that Choco stepped on her foot, and Jae-gil drags Choco out to make her apologize. She apologizes for the t-shirt vandalism but not the foot-stepping, which has everyone bickering again. This scene is really overstaying its welcome.

To sum up the rest, Jae-gil chides Choco like a little sister and puts Yoo-ra on a pedestal before piggybacking her whiny behind to the cafe Maru tends bar at so he can serenade her.

Everyone gets a brooding session, and while Eun-ki clutches her doll in the confines of her office, Maru shaves a block of ice into a nifty ball, which he then serves with alcohol to Min-young. Is he in Maru’s bar as a coincidence, or is something else going on?

It seems like a little time has passed, but not enough for Dad to get over the brunch debacle. He sends Joon-ha to deliver the news to Eun-ki that she’s basically fired from her job as Executive Director for the time being, which fires up Eun-ki’s temper as she declares that she isn’t going anywhere.

Joon-ha tries to dissuade her as she beelines for the meeting room, not at all dismayed when the door is locked. Despite her pounding at the door the meeting carries on as usual, until Min-young finally gets the go-ahead to let her in.

There’s another group that Taesan wants to acquire, but the only way they can work up the funds is to sell a resort in Aomori, something that has Eun-ki up at arms because they can sell every place but that place.

Luckily for Taesan, Jae-hee has a close contact with an American company who’ll pay them lots of money for the resort. Eun-ki’s dissent falls on deaf ears even as she swears to come up with a plan to get the funds herself. Like we thought, the resort has sentimental value attached to Mom.

Finally, Dad orders Eun-ki taken out, and tears into her when she calls him ‘Father’. “How am I your father here?” he demands to know, and literally takes Eun-ki to school in front of all the other board members. He appoints Jae-hee as management on the project, since the American firm is in Japan with the resort and thus presents the perfect negotiation opportunity.

Eun-ki is forced to stay and listen silently as Dad and Min-young iron out the details for Jae-hee to take control of the project.

And when Jae-hee herself gets the news, she can barely contain her happiness.

Maru ends up going through a box containing his old doctors’ scrubs and schoolbooks, and finds a picture of himself and Jae-hee inside. He flips the picture over so it’s not facing him, while Choco deals with one of his lady callers outside by frankly telling her that her Oppa isn’t picking up her calls because he’s a player and a con artist.

She had no idea he was inside and is mortified to know that Maru might have overheard her, but he takes it like a champ (as usual). She wants him to meet a girl he actually loves, and mentions Eun-ki specifically.

But Choco knows her brother, and knows that he can’t really date other women because he can’t forget Jae-hee. “Please forget her,” Choco pleads. “Jae-hee Unni will not come back to you now.”

Eun-ki calls him once he’s outside, and he asks whether she’s found a place for them to kiss yet. She asks him to name ten people who’ve thrown away their throne or power for love, and I love that Shrek, Princess Fiona, and Gu Jun-pyo (Boys Over Flowers) are among Maru’s picks.

The feelings/not feelings/pretend feelings in this drama are seriously messing with my head, especially when Eun-ki admits that she wants to see him. She’s calling from the resort in Aomori, Japan, which she’s trying to save from being sold off by her father and stepmother because it was dear to her real mother.

But she acknowledges that the odds are stacked against her, and guesses that she’ll be kicked out of the company if she fails. She doesn’t even have to finish her sentence, because Maru automatically cuts in and says he’ll accept her even if she loses everything.

Eun-ki: “Okay, I’ll believe you this one time. If it comes down for me to give up, I’ll give up quickly. If it comes down to surrendering, I’ll surrender even faster.”

Jae-hee pops up before she can hang up, and Maru gets to stay on the line (or Eun-ki lets him stay on the line) while Eun-ki plainly tells Jae-hee that she’s there to ruin her schemes, since she alone has found a way to get the funds they need without selling the resort.

Jae-hee calls her a liar: “I thought I told you. You can’t beat me.” She launches into a tirade about how far she’s gone to overcome all the obstacles in her life, and what she’s had to do. Basically, she’s made her bed, and she’ll make damn sure she gets to lay in it forever.

She leans in at the end to lower her speech and punctuate her words: “Don’t play around and just move, Eun-ki. Like I told you, you can’t beat Unni.” She even rubs in the fact that Eun-ki’s got nothing but time on her hands since she pushed her out of the company, and coos at her to go sightseeing and, you know, do all those other things people without jobs do.

Only once Jae-hee’s gone does Eun-ki hang up on Maru.

Eun-ki heads to a small house on the property where she and Mom used to visit, and admits to her Barbie that she did lie to Jae-hee. She hasn’t found a way, but “I am Seo Eun-ki. It won’t be taken away from me that easily. Believe in me, Mom.”

Meanwhile, Jae-hee meets up with the American businessman buying the resort, and even if they’re good friends, it seems a bit weird to say a business associate is sexier than you remember.

Eun-ki burns the midnight oil to do some serious number crunching, since everything’s better in a montage. Still without a solution, Eun-ki stares at the starry sky and affirms to herself and Mom: “Not yet. I won’t take my hands off this. I won’t give up yet. I won’t surrender yet.”

She ends up falling asleep outside, and in the morning a mysterious person picks her up… and dumps her into the nearby river. HA.

She comes up sputtering, face to face with a brightly smiling Maru. He’s there to help her get her shiznit together: “Let’s kill them all.”

COMMENTS

Not going to lie, I thought it was kind of funny (in a sad way) when Maru was basically telling Jae-hee that for every moment she spends in her dreamlike, luxurious world, an angel loses its wings. Like every single second she experiences happiness after how she’s treated him causes an orphanage to spontaneously combust, or a baby seal to get separated from its mother. Maru declared war, and it was awesome.

This is the kind of show that really epitomizes the phrase “Your Mileage May Vary”, because there’s so much that’s just plain hidden from us. In the absence of exposition, I keep trying to not make glaring assumptions since they’ll always be thrown up in the air by the next scene, but I can’t waver in Indecisionland forever. I do love that we have a melodrama playing like a mystery, and it’s doing a great job so far of keeping the audience on their (our, my) toes.

I wish I could be that omniscient recapper who can read five levels deeper into each scene and discern the ONE truth the writer wants us to know, delivered from on high. But the truth is, I still don’t have a solid grasp on where fiction becomes reality, at least where our characters are concerned, buuut I’ll try to sort it out.

Yes, I think Eun-ki has fallen for Maru, but thinks she has control over who’s manipulating who. Yes, I think she knows who he is as well as his background, because it’d just be too out of character for her not do to some fact checking with him. Yes, I think she plays up the relationship to grate on Jae-hee’s nerves, but not all of it is just fancy pretend time for her. Yes, Eun-ki is very guarded, but she seems like the kind of girl who falls hard when she lets herself.

No, I don’t think Maru is in this for the good of Jae-hee’s soul, and what he’s doing is basically revenge. But the interesting thing about Maru is that he speaks like he’s going to bring her down for her hypocrisy, not just for what she’s personally done to him, said like he’s working on the side of The People.

She’s living in the same world she’d once condemned, sure, but last time I checked, that wasn’t against the law. Maru has more than enough reasons to want to take personal revenge, and I hope that he acknowledges that Jae-hee’s actions against him are what she needs to pay for. But who knows, maybe Maru does have a real grudge against those whom he thinks perpetrate social inequality and class injustice, and Jae-hee is all the things he hates rolled into one. I’m not quite buying it, though.

It’s where Eun-ki and Maru’s “I’ll use you/No, I’ll use YOU” comes into play that I’m honestly confused, but that’s not a bad thing. Maru seems in it to win it as far as bringing Jae-hee down, and I thought it was pretty telling that Jae-hee is so scared of him. He’s told her he’s going to bring an unholy fire upon both her houses, so who wouldn’t be quaking in their boots?

I’m just hoping Eun-ki is capable enough to handle the fact that Maru is using her, to whatever degree. The thing that makes her a step above the usual drama heroine is that I’m pretty sure Eun-ki is using him too.

September 23, 2012 at 1:45 AM

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I've got to admit, I'm very much in the 'EunRuTRULUV' department too.

I do think Eun-ki is using Maru a little bit too - she found out where he lived, she definitely did some checking into his background.
And she let him listen in on their conversation because I think she knows she need an accomplice against Jae Hee - we've seen what's stacked against her and she's seen Jae Hee's feared reaction to Kang Maru.

Who else is better to help her take Jae Hee down?

I think Maru's motivations are based on that anger you get looking at somebody who has something and you don't think they deserve it - the lying, manipulative cousin who gets all the sweets while you have to the clean the bathroom.
He sacrificed himself because she said that her life without in intrepid, hard nosed journalism she was doing would be worthless and yet here she is, living on the flip side.
Those years, seemingly wasted on an ideal that now no longer exists. (Bit gutted that in the preview, he seems to leap in the water after Jae Hee but that also supports the justice thread, rather than the revenge thread. Or he's still in love with her. Eurgh, I hope not).

I know that scene with Choco was a bit long, but after the first few episodes, where her exposition made me think she was a bit of a spoiled limpet, but now I see her romantic and slightly idealistic tendencies are part of what motivate her.
She's a nice contrast to her overly jaded brother.

September 21, 2012 at 8:15 PM

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After the brunch, when ma ru says the place (class level) of trash was too good for jae hee, it felt so good. I know that jae hee's position will advance higher throughout the series, but all the more gratifying it will be for her to fall because of ma ru.

On another note, it feels as if eun gi fell for ma ru too quickly, but it was great when she called him and said she wanted to see him (she missed him). She's always showing a strong side to everyone, but when it comes to ma ru she can become vulnerable. To an extent, anyway.

When moon chae won says "bogosipeoyo", it just sounds really good, doesn't it? I definitely have a crush on her.

September 23, 2012 at 4:36 PM

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ㅋㅋㅋ "Damn" was my exact reason.

IA, I just LOVE MCW's voice. It's so soothing~~ haha. I remember hating her character in Shining Inheritance but still not quite hating MCW. And then TPM, really made me appreciative her 10x more. She was a little rocky in the first two episodes but she's totally kicking ass now. Can't wait for Wednesday!

September 24, 2012 at 4:59 AM

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LOL, Ricky,

At least you are honest about who you are crushing on and your greediness :-), you get points for honesty. Hey, if fangirls can claim more than one celeb/actor/singer/model etc..., why couldn't you have more than one crush? You must have a big heart.

Oh, and I would have loved to have seen you during your Gaksital days. You, a mess? Definitely would have loved to see that.

September 21, 2012 at 8:23 PM

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After reading your recaps for the last 3 episodes, I finally watched ep4 and I have to admit I am very impressed with the cast. Especially loving MCW's portrayal of Eunki. Her dad still scares the shit out of me (think Suyang of TPM left a deep scar in there somewhere). Lastly as I didn't watch the much hyped TWHR last year so Joonki really surprised me with his acting chops.

September 21, 2012 at 8:36 PM

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Even though he only made an appearance for a few episodes, man.. he killed those episodes, in TWDR. Wide variety of emotions. got me feeling like i was on a roller coaster.
If not for the great actor Han Suk Kyu taking over as King Sejong i would have been super sad SJK was leaving.

September 21, 2012 at 9:43 PM

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Yeah, I'm also totally not surprised at all at SJK's acting. I saw him first in Sungkyunkwan Scandal and thought he was the most talented of all the young actors in that drama. I was like, "Who is he?" Since then, it's great to see him take on characters that display the range he's capable of.

September 21, 2012 at 10:21 PM

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AGREED I am super impressed by the solid cast too! And both Eunki's dad and the mom are the same parents from Princess' Man!

I am so thankful that Song Joongki's projects have increased in quality and difficulty in gradual steps over the years compared to other actors his age who got too big of a boost too fast. I want to watch him act forever!

September 22, 2012 at 8:22 AM

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I just realized that MCW's parents here were her parents in TPM too. Hahaha. I'm not sure who's more of an a** here - Suyang or her dad. As to the mom, since I know less of her character's mom here, I'd say I still hate her mom in TPM even if she did save Se-ryung and Seung-yoo both in the end.

I'm earnestly following the recaps for NG even though it's not my usual preference (the genre) as the story's really intriguing and I'm pretty sure from the start that they have a solid cast. I didn't even follow WISFC when JB recapped it years ago, but this, this is really making me want to watch it...and hopefully it ends well for everyone (what? I like happily-ever-afters sp. in dramas). If not, then...we'll see if I still want to watch it.

September 23, 2012 at 2:47 AM

September 21, 2012 at 8:27 PM

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Thanks so much for your recaps really teasing out the intricacies for me! This show is startig out brilliantly and I just hope it doesn't suffer form series sag part way through . . . if so, would be one of the BIG disappointments of the year

September 21, 2012 at 11:56 PM

September 21, 2012 at 8:29 PM

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right, i agree with headsno2..." I don't know the first thing about anything or anyone in Nice Guy". sometimes i do like that some dramas are predictable. hehehe. but..maybe not. i like where this drama is going though...oh drama, please satisfy us till the end.

September 21, 2012 at 8:31 PM

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Interesting...I agree, there can be so many takes on this. Just a note though, MR was the one who hung up the call. I'm also not so sure whether MR revenge is truly revenge or absolution, but it does seem obvious to me that deep down he still hasn't gotten over his love for JH.

September 21, 2012 at 9:34 PM

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I don't think MR's face off with JH is an act of revenge. I really enjoyed that exchange between them and I feel like JH's description of MR at the end of episode 3 is right on; "he’s like a house that always has the lights on and a warm fire burning". Even more than his love for her, MR is coming to get JH because she's like a child who "lost" her way home and he's the only one who can bring her back to her senses, kind of like he's her salvation.

September 21, 2012 at 10:52 PM

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i think the revenge hasn't started yet..there might be something that will trigger Maru to start his revenge upon Jae Hee..and EunKi has no amnesia yet..so there might be something that is about to happen and that will lead Maru to start his real revenge..i think it will start after that accident..

September 22, 2012 at 5:18 AM

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Revenge like Bi on Shin Min-Ah in the writer's other drama A Love To Kill? That revenge was awesome. Oh if you decide to see it ALTK, have at least 3 boxes of tissues and try not to marathon it like I did.
hmmm maybe I'll stop watching NG and marathon it later.

September 22, 2012 at 6:08 AM

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oh, so NG's writer is also ALTK's? i haven't seen ALTK yet..i'm not really into melodramas..but this drama got me..partly, because of joong ki..i fell in love with him since Sungkyunkwan Scandal..i prefer watching him in segeuk dramas though.. :-)

September 22, 2012 at 6:43 AM

September 24, 2012 at 9:24 AM

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I am so curious as to how you interpreted Eun Ki's leaving her phone on for Maru to overhear her convo with Jae Hee. For me, it was pretty clear that Eun Ki did it intentionally since she was holding the phone carefully the entire time. Do you agree? And if so, how do you reconcile that with your theory that Eun Ki doesn't know the connection b/t Maru and Jae Hee?

Additionally, Jae Hee was being SO OBVIOUS in her jealousy of Eun Ki and Maru at the bathhouse that I find it really hard to believe that Eun Ki wouldn't have picked up on the fact that there is something more going on b/t Jae Hee and Maru. She's damaged, but she's very perceptive. How did you interpret that?

September 22, 2012 at 5:30 AM

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It's confusing because each main character has conflicting drives.
MR: Love for JH, revenge and the doctor's need to help those in need.
JH: Love for MR and fear of poverty and mother's love for her child. And lots of guilt at hurting MR
EG: wait for the amnesia. I'm sure the writer has amazing things to unleash on our emotions.

September 21, 2012 at 8:35 PM

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Thanks! And I'm loving your insight and analysis of this show, so need to worry. ;) This is certainly one of those shows that what you see and what you understand aren't necessarily going to be the same thing, or even the right thing when it comes to what the writer is trying to convey. So far I'm reading your recaps and another person's recaps and I'm loving how you both differ. She's a firm believer in the romance between Maru and Eun-Ki being real, but you are questioning it still and I like that dissonance. =) Makes me remember to make up my own mind instead of thinking whatever the current recapper is saying is the honest truth. And I'm very confused about what's going on between Maru and Eunn-Ki (and how her amnesia is going to play into it, I'm kind of afraid that she's going to find out about what Maru is doing to her and lose it. Her psyche already seems fragile as it is) but I am so happy to be along for the ride. =)

September 21, 2012 at 8:47 PM

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I absolutely loved that speech Eun-Gi gave during dinner.
Especially the part where she talks about Maru's past not mattering to her, but it's the present and the future she cares about.
And then of course, owning dad&jae hee. LOL It's sad how the only real people actually spitting out things that are TRUE are Maru and EunGi. Everyone else got skeletons in their closet.
BUT, as awkward and tense as that dinner was guys – be rest assured. The BTS is nowhere near that tense. SJK was cutting up portions of his food to give to MCW. Afterward, she is seen pointing to his plate and a thumbs-up at the camera. And there was a moment where he put his hand on her head. It’s so adorable.

September 21, 2012 at 8:50 PM

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I really don't see the proof that she knows who he is AT ALL. She's using him in the sense that she doesn't love him, but knows that he bothers her dad and JH, but I don't think she knows about the relationship b/w MR and JH. Where's the proof that she knows?

September 22, 2012 at 12:59 AM

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i don't think she knows as in she has proof, but she knows as in she suspects through their reactions to each other and especially JH's reaction every time she brings up MR. EK is not an idiot from the first episode when she found out JH gave MR money the her reaction to her having him arrested also gave away the fact that JH knows MR and cares about him. Also their body language and tension gives them away. EK's dad did raise no fool and homegirl knows what's up.

September 22, 2012 at 5:32 AM

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Lols. I'm still not convince EG has made the connection or suspects JH-MR's history. At the very most, if we see a flashback from PD Kim, it would have been ep 2 when she was on the phone with JH-Spy that she found out.

Perhaps we're giving EG too much credit. She is suspicious not by nature but by circumstance of the people who have hurt her. It's one of the things her father incessantly ribs on about her - her belief in people deep down. EG really is quite innocent compared to devious manipulators like JH.

MR is stunningly handsome and charming. He just oozes sex appeal. EG knows it. I think her facial expressions show precisely how innocent she can be once she lets her guard down - which she has considerably after witnessing his family's dysfunctions.

September 22, 2012 at 10:06 AM

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It is an interesting point that EG does NOT have the same experience in the ways of love and seduction that MR does.

MR made money off of convincing woman that he is interested in them. He had sex with ladies he disdained, and never felt ANYTHING for them. We know how far he is willing to go with EG, to "get the job done," although we are all a little fuzzy on what that means.
Is it revenge, a rescue, a combo of the two?

It doesn't mean she is going to believe him, but it certainly will be difficult to resist. On the one hand, using him could be very enjoyable for her even if her heart is not engaged. On the other hand, if she does go as far as having sex with him, it will be VERY difficult for her to keep her heart safe.
She doesn't have the same tough shell protecting her like JH does.

September 22, 2012 at 9:07 AM

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We don't have proof, as in a scene where she says "Oh, it's the same man!" but we can guess based on what we know about her character - suspicious by nature.

This is what we know.
1. A man saves her on a plane. She immediately has him investigated and finds out money changed accounts from JH to him. She confronts JH who fake confesses two different schemes - one to shut him up about the drug charges and, two, to pay him to kill her. She must have seen his name.

2. A man saves her on a cliff. She stays at the hospital to talk to him and asks point blank "Have we met before? Nobody saves other people for nothing." He doesn't deny it, but ignores her question. She sees his name on the chart. Walks away saying, "Why?"
What we assume: She got on the phone immediately after to talk to Joon-ha to confirm it's the same name.

3. Joon-ha has MR investigated specifically to find out if there is a connection to JH, but because the folks lie, can't get confirmation from them. Joon-ha remains unconvinced.
What we can assume:
Joon-ha kept asking questions elsewhere and finds the truth.
Finding the connection between JH and MR is as easy as looking into her college years. Since they know that MR is a med school drop out, they must also know where he went to school.
3. She sits and thinks about the encounter. Later, we see her writing his name over and over.
What we can assume:
What we see is her trying to figure out who and what he is, and what and how she is going to use him against JH.

Between Joon-ha and her suspicions, they are going to keep asking questions. They have his name, home address, bank account info. Everything else is easy.

What we don't know is what her plans are, but I can't wait to find out!

September 22, 2012 at 2:39 PM

September 21, 2012 at 8:54 PM

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i love bitchy bitch dialogue, grit your teeth and feel the cool splash of words down your spine! Only in drama we can unleash this kind of emotion, in realtiy, I'm meek as a kitten. heheheh, well that's just me! NG, let the witty remarks and rage roll on and I'm here to applause every defining moment! I hope in the end there's no forgiveness or subtle punishment like most other dramas villain ending.

September 21, 2012 at 8:58 PM

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I am very intrigued with this show. It does make you second guess Maru's and Eun-ki's motives. I am invested in both of them. I sincerely hope they will find their happiness.
I don't particularly care for Jae-hee, I know (dearly hope) that she will get her comeuppance by the end of the series. Its terrible of me but its quite difficult for me to like her.

Needless to say, I am fangirling my head off at this drama, not just all for Song Joong-ki. Moon Chae-won is amazing and I hope this drama doesn't go Miss Ripely on me. I love it too much already.

BTW, watching Soon Joong-ki again made me go back to the Dream Team days (2010) with Minho from SHINee... I seriously like watched it again, why are they so pretty? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wm0plP_oYA OMG, I WANNA BE THEIR ROOMATE!!♥

September 27, 2012 at 6:52 PM

September 21, 2012 at 9:17 PM

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Can't tell if Moon ChaeWon's acting has been improving or if she's just been getting better roles or both but I'm really loving her character here more than her earlier roles. Maru's and Eunki's mind games are the best I've seen in a while.

September 21, 2012 at 9:41 PM

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it's not she have been improve..but truthfully she get a better roles this time...to act as Eun Gi is so challenging..Truthfully.,i never see MCW bring her character so bad..because what ever character she got.,as a main lead or second lead.,she act super damn good..!! impressive than other actors..!! just seeing how she act in BL..she even act more outstanding than HHJ and LSK which is the main lead there..other than LKH writing skill..,the fact that this drama will be success is because of MCW and SJK acting.!!!

September 22, 2012 at 1:13 AM

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i think it's more of MCW is good at picking her dramas.. she knows what role will bring out the best in her & continue challenging herself by picking on different roles.. She has a lot of drama offers but she have to turn down a lot because she & her management doesn't think the role or drama will be good for her.. Picking roles & dramas like Painter of the Wind, Shining Inheritance, Princess Man & now Nice Guy is a very smart move by her & her management because we could definitely see that those characters/roles were very different from each other... And all this dramas have been successful too...

September 21, 2012 at 9:20 PM

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Thanks HN2.

I think EG is fooling herself that she's in control because it does appear that she's fallen for MR, which is not a bad thing especially if he returns her affections.

IDK, MR's declaration looked and sounded like he: 1) still loves JH and is totally bothered by her choices in life that he sacrificed for, and 2) wants the woman back in his stratosphere. He's not her husband so I don't get the demands other than he thinks he's entitled to tell her what to do since he took the murder rap for her. If this is emotional blackmail, she is prepared to go to extremes as we've already seen.

Speaking of husbands, why are JH and the chairman not married already when they refer to her as second madame?

September 21, 2012 at 9:20 PM

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Tug of war--Pull and push.Like a roller coaster ride.Manipulation.fake emotional diaplays with strong reality vibe.What say, best lair.Fakeout emos.And its really hard to kniw how's things are going to turn out-who win the game?Who's the one to laugh out last?What's more is all this is making me intrigue---Nice Guy-What a lie!

September 21, 2012 at 9:32 PM

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I'm starting to think that everything is just straightforward. What we see is what we are really getting - Maru is the one using Eun Gi, Eun Gi doesn't know anything, Eun Gi isn't the sassiest and hardcore bitch we thought she is.

I'm starting to get annoyed in Eun Gi honestly. I think it's because she's been too honest and straightforward, all talk and no play, and that her opponent has already started scheming. But again, I think it is necessary to see Jae Hee tramples our heroine or else we won't be cheering so loudly once Eun Gi is back to the field smacking Jae Hee's ass back to the ground.

I really hope that Maru has no intention of redeeming Jae Hee while he's all doomed and ready to accept that he's doomed for the rest of his life. We don't want a martyr for a lead, do we? And I think that's quite clear in his last line, “No. Even that place would be an honor for you" referring to the slum where Jae Hee came from.

I don't mind if Maru's revenge isn't as vengeful as we thought it is. Because I think it's still is with good intention. He wants Jae Hee to go back to her senses, back to the idealistic Jae Hee he once new. But what I don't want to see is he self-destruct in the process, dig up his own grave while he save the bitch that is Jae Hee. If this is a story about redemption, then let it happen to all of them. I don't want Maru to be a gigolo for the rest of his life. Or even a bartender! He's suppose to be more than that and let that lost bright future be given back to him.

Everytime Eun Gi and Jae Hee are on screen, it's like watching basketball, waiting which of them will get a score: Jae Hee - 5, Eun Gi - 2. I think they are my official OTP in this series. Hahahaha.

September 22, 2012 at 12:57 AM

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Can't agree with you more that EG doesn't know anything and is really fall for MR. I think it's straightforward but we're just thinking too much. EG may be rude, arrogant but she's not manipulative. It's seem she's innocent in the name of love.

Moreover, I don't think she's link MR and the one who save her on the plane yet. Since her hot lawyer still can't find the link between MR and JH so EG doesn't know about it too.

And I super love the scene between EG and JH. Their chemistry are on fire. I will cry when EG become amnesia coz she can't fight with JH anymore.

September 22, 2012 at 5:52 AM

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Hahaha...So funny that the rare female OTPs in the last 5 years have mostly included MCW...Moon Geun Young/MCW aka 5 coins, and now PSY and MCW.

I also think we are over-thinking this. It's not that I don't like manipulative EG - I would love her to extend her sass and strategic thinking - but it seems like having all 3 characters being so manipulative can only lead to one result: complete self-destruction of all.

Writer Lee has definitely done that before, so I think this time around it's going to be different. People may think EG being so innocent is a turnoff on since she leaves herself vulnerable the wolves, but perhaps Writer Lee wants her innocence be the salvation that both MR and JH need in the end.

September 22, 2012 at 6:35 AM

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Haha. It's not really Eun Gi's vulnerability that's getting on my nerves but the lack of play. Jae Hee's been smacking her and she's all talk. I'd rather have her silent this time and plan her actions well. She def needs to learn a thing or two from Jae Hee's strategy. It ain't bad if she works under the radar and it ain't manipulative either. Because her laying all her cards in front of Jae Hee is not working anymore. It does give an immediate shock and scare factor but at the end of the day it doesn't do her any good.

Soooo...now Maru's on her side, let the game begins! Because I am starting to get impatient! Hahahaha.

September 24, 2012 at 7:17 PM

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You now, I think Jae Hee's the one who's out of her depth here, especially with Ma Ru. She doesn't understand how things can spiral out of control. The best way I can say it succinctly is this: she's the kind of person who address the symptoms and not the core problem, who puts a bandaid on a gaping wound and gum in a leak.

September 22, 2012 at 6:39 AM

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Because it was not her who reported MR to the police but her lawyer Joon Ha (it was her order). And EG doesn't bother to know the name of a person who was blackmailing JH. She didn't even bother to know the name of the person who rescued her on the plane.

That doesn't mean EG is dumb because she is kind of suspicious - especially after ep. 4 where JH questioned her about MR and MR knew that JH was a reporter... So I think so far she doesn't have enough informations to connect MR with the other events and we saw Joon Ha doing his investigations but I don't think he reported it to her already. Though this is only me guessing.

September 22, 2012 at 6:49 AM

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Because it's not really her who's investigating intently on the incident but Joon ha. Yes, someone told her that "it seems the fake doctor and Jae Hee knows each other." She's the one who told it to Joon Ha. But after that, I think it's Joon Ha who's been personally dealing with the incident especially that blackmailing stint. If my observation is right, Joon Ha's investigation is not all done yet because he's still not convince that Jae Hee and fake doctor knows each other. But then, he's not yet reporting anything to Eun Gi. Eun Gi couldn't care less about the incident anymore because she's dealing with new issues now, like the Aomori resort.

September 21, 2012 at 10:03 PM

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"I wish I could be that omniscient recapper who can read five levels deeper into each scene and discern the ONE truth the writer wants us to know, delivered from on high. But the truth is, I still don’t have a solid grasp on where fiction becomes reality, at least where our characters are concerned, buuut I’ll try to sort it out."

Maybe we aren't meant to know yet! It's still early in the drama and the ball, perhaps, has not yet begun to pick up it's momentum & the writer wants to leave us baffled for now. Wouldn't want you to cross your wires trying to read into the characters crossed wires,lol.

September 21, 2012 at 10:04 PM

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That scene when Maru was flipping through his old medical textbooks was so heart-wrenching. There was no montage played and there was no narration. We only heard the stellar background music and the moving acting of Song Joong Ki. I could really feel the regret, betrayal, and other emotions constantly replaying through his mind. So good.

September 22, 2012 at 9:41 AM

September 23, 2012 at 4:55 PM

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I found it interesting that he felt compelled to actually go through his old medical books. I'm wondering if he was simply looking for evidence that showed he knew Jae-hee or if Eun-ki's father kind of did "get" to him in a way. He really is no catch for Eun-ki and it's kind of a sad realization (for me, anyway). Those medical books kind of symbolize what could have been of his future, had it not been for Jae-hee. :/

September 22, 2012 at 6:00 AM

Hiya dear, just wanted to let you know Joynara at Soompi has posted her thoughts after our speculations since she took the time to read Writer Lee's submitted synopsis and Ep 1-5 ep scripts at DC.

Of course, Writer Lee always has the option to change it, but it seems she's pretty confirmed and determined with this script for some time considering she's courted and talked to SJK regarding his role months before production.

September 24, 2012 at 9:20 AM

Ok, I finally have some time to share my thoughts (a bit late, but whatever).

I thought this was the best episode yet. Every scene bristles with tension. I especially love Eun Ki right now, but frankly all three leads are interesting.

Jae Hee is such a fascinating character. There's this really interesting scene-let at around 48 minutes of her alone in a room applying makeup at a vanity. The first thing I thought when I saw this was "prostitute." Indeed, she is essentially a high-class prostitute, sleeping with/stringing along various men to get what she wants. Even her relationship with Maru, if you look at it cynically, was a transactional one. He protected her in return for her affection. The problem is, she got greedy and didn't hold up her end of the bargain. Ironic that though she ribs Maru for being prostitute, she's no better (in fact, she's worse because her relationships have more depth and the men throw their lives away for her).

I loved the brunch scene. It's such a clear representation of the complicated dynamics at play. You have Maru focused entirely on Jae Hee, alternately protecting her secret and making her squirm. Then you have Eun Ki, challenging the authority of her father and Jae Hee in her typical straightforward way...while also sacrificing herself to protect Maru. Then you have Jae Hee, playing the victim and getting comforted by her lawyer and protected by EK's father.

I cannot WAIT for the dynamics to shift to where Jae Hee is no longer the center of Maru's universe. Right now, every scene that he's in with both Jae Hee and Eun Ki still revolves (even if indirectly) around Jae Hee. Everything he says and does to Eun Ki is for Jae Hee to hear/see. I am so excited for the moment where Jae Hee is no longer the priority in his life.

September 21, 2012 at 10:25 PM

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When I introduced this drama to my friend and watched it with her I kept saying "shxt just got real" so many times in one episode. You couldn't cut the tension in this show with a chainsaw. I had such low expectations after reading the premise, but I love how the show is proving me wrong time and time again.

September 23, 2012 at 5:07 PM

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ME! Lee Sang-yeob is awesome, I really hope they give him more to do. If you're fluent in Korean (no subs, unfortunately) you should watch him in I Live in Cheongdam-dong, he plays a pretty big role and he's hilarious. The sitcom itself is fucking GREAT, I highly recommend it!

September 21, 2012 at 11:14 PM

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"Not going to lie, I thought it was kind of funny (in a sad way) when Maru was basically telling Jae-hee that for every moment she spends in her dreamlike, luxurious world, an angel loses its wings. Like every single second she experiences happiness after how she’s treated him causes an orphanage to spontaneously combust, or a baby seal to get separated from its mother. Maru declared war, and it was awesome."

I like your commentary in general, HeadsNo2, but I think today's really takes the cake. It both made me laugh and really think.

As for who's using whom and how much is real and how much is played deliberately, I think that none of the characters know or even care, like their ultimate goals are so much bigger than personal attachments.

People are going to get hurt, people that they might love and might care about. But since their feelings are in MaybeLand, there really isn't room for them to allow them to affect their best laid plans, is there?

I still want to see what the deal is with EunGi's lawyer!! He looked much too concerned and alarmed when she said her dad was punishing her for dating a man he thought was unworthy of a lady of her standing. Also, he's much too yummy-looking and emotive to be just a paper side character. I'm so curious about his back story.

You're absolutely right when you mentioned that this revengey suspense show is being played out like a mystery. You super hit the nail on the head with that assessment.

Whew. Now that I stayed up in hopes of commenting on Ep 4 before going to sleep and have accomplished just that, I am off to bed!

September 22, 2012 at 6:29 AM

September 21, 2012 at 11:43 PM

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hmmm I don't know...I didn't get the vibes that Eun Ki knows who Maru is at all.
Couple of reasons:
1. she's all bark no bite as seen with the last arc in the story where JH takes over her mom's resort...she isn't "plotting" anything against JH she's just trying to protect what is hers (Teasang) because she know JH is definitely clawing her way to the top.

2. when her cute (possibly gay) lawyer friend went to research on Maru, he got nothing (because of Min-young's doing of course)..so doesn't that translate to EK didn't get any information on him?

3. She's way toooo anti-JH i feel like to even PRETEND to date someone she dated even in the name of revenge

I don't know...I could be wrong but I feel this is all about Maru taking her for a ride....she's totally unaware of it and has fall for him.

September 23, 2012 at 6:51 AM

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hmm..i can't agree much..i do think that EG knows a little bit (if not much) about who MR is.
why she used MR for JH to get riled up? she was definitely described as being cold and so on. then why the changed of heart? if she did not see the connection, why use MR? well infact she can use any other guy? or other strategy unless we know other reason..she saw the there's something between JH and MR..and maybe she's being true abt MR, but i know that deep in my heart that she's faking it.
and also..it's too early to fall in love..yeah maybe she's intrigue with MR but i think she's more like the idea of using him against JH..LOL we know they're both using each other..
Also..we definitely knew what they were (EG and MR) like on the 1st episode..MR ignoring EG who's suffering from the plane and almost died if not for Choco..and EG deliberately put MR to jail well infact she knew that the blackmail plot is a hoax..(yes.that was a low blow for me. more like an escape mode for JH)..
they just both ignore the essence of life as well as humanity considering there past..then why the change of heart, if there's no gain in the end?
well it's too early to predict :)

September 23, 2012 at 7:49 AM

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hmm..i can't agree much..i do think that EG knows a little bit (if not much) about who MR is.
why then she used MR for JH to get riled up? she was definitely described as being cold and so on. then why the changed of heart? if she did not see the connection, why use MR? well infact she can use any other guy? or other strategy unless we know other reason..she saw the there's something between JH and MR..and maybe she's being true abt MR, but i know that deep in my heart that she's faking it too.
and also..it's too early to fall in love..yeah maybe she's intrigue with MR but i think she's more like the idea of using him against JH..LOL we know they're both using each other..
Also..we definitely knew what they (EG and MR) were like on the 1st episode..MR ignoring EG who's suffering from the plane and almost died if not for Choco..and EG deliberately put MR to jail well infact she knew that the blackmail plot is a hoax or at least she's smart enough to know..(yes.that was a low blow for me. an escape mode for JH, i wouldnt believe until evidence say so)..
I do believe they're making a progress in terms oF MR ang EK's relationship (be a lover or not) but I guess the amnesia twist in the story will get us to the REAL one (at least no false hope)
well, it's too early to predict :)

September 22, 2012 at 12:51 AM

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It is not Eunki who hang up on the phone but Maru.. If you watch closely Eunki was just holding her phone and didn't click on anything when the call suddenly is disconnected and then we see Maru clicking his phone indicating that he end the call..

Eunki is very vulnerable that time & her emotion is almost taking over her so i don't think she intended for Maru to hear the conversation.. She was just caught up w/ her anger w/ Jaehee forgetting Maru is still on the line..

September 22, 2012 at 1:02 AM

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nah i think she left the phone on, on purpose (in someways she is her father's daughter and i feel she is too smart for it to have been an accident) i do however think that what JH did (basically seeing through EK's bluff and showing more of her claws) rattled her a lot and she forgot to hang up.

September 22, 2012 at 1:03 AM

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i think the only thing Eunki knows is that Maru & Jaehee knows each other & maybe has some past (not being in a relationship before but she maybe thinking that Maru may know something about Jaehee's past since they knew each other before) so she is trying to test her hypothesis by being sweet/close to Maru to see how Jaehee will react.. But i am pretty sure she doesn't know what relationship those two have that Maru is JH's ex-bpyfriend and everything.. She merely knows that they knew each other & keep on guessing on how could they possibly knew each other so to test her guesses she uses Maru on JH just to see her reaction or maybe have some confirmation on her theories..

September 22, 2012 at 1:12 AM

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I like the show.

My guess is that Maru still has something like feelings for Jae-hee. But I want to believe that he went to Eun-Ki not only for his revenge, but maybe because she is similar to him ( the thing with resort showed her human side) and he wants to help her (like a friend).

September 22, 2012 at 1:20 AM

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this drama is sooo good. nothing is what it seems despite what we see and hear on screen. i love how certain scenes and motives are explained later. i know a lot of people think EK has really fallen for MR and doesn't know about his past, but seeing the girl we saw in the first ep, how smart and intuitive she is, and how much in someways she is her father's daughter...she knows what's up.

EK may not have all the details but she most definitely knows (through suspicions, the tension between JH and MR and their interactions and reactions to each other) that JH and MR have a past together.

As of right now EK is using MR as much as he is using her. In the last ep before she talks about meeting again and again (even during it) she is pointy staring at JH and enjoying every emotion that runs across her face (the same as in their gym scenes). She is using him because of her suspicions of his JH connections and how much it riles JH up. At the same time she genuinely is curious about him and falling for him on some level.

As for Maru...I can't read that boy at all. I'll just keep enjoying what SJK gives. Keep being Team EK and anyone on her said and continue to happily await JH, lawyer Ahn, the chairman, and everyone team JH's down fall :D

September 22, 2012 at 1:49 AM

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My god, this show has sucked me in.
I'm willing to place money on Eun Ki knowing at the very least that all is not what it seems with Jae Hee and Maru. Most Obvious Clue: she knew the name of the not-a-doctor who treated her on the plane, wch was also the name of Jae-Hee's 'blackmailer'; which, obviously, is Kang Maru. This is obvious enough that even Jae Hee should know that she knows SOMETHING. Jae Hee may even suspect that they've formed an alliance.

Given that it isn't really unsettling Eun Ki at all in her interactions with the other two, she has enough information to know to play it close to the vest - and to know that she can use Maru easily. I tentatively posit that she probably heard at least some of Maru's and Jae-Hee's payoff conversation, since she had had an easy opportunity. Which means that she should be detecting a compromise of some sort in her information-gathering faculties - namely Possibly Gay Lawyer's reports. She should already be suspecting this last from what she already knows.

Jae Hee's current advantage lies in the fact that nobody knows Lawyer Ahn is on her side, doing her dirty work for her. It looks like her rise is of the meteoric variety at present, but it's all restng on a house of cards that Lawyer Ahn is mortaring over for her as they speak: the murder, Kang Maru, her past in general being squicky for a chaebol. He's doing this, interestingly, so she'll consent to his beng another wild card - a lover, which is potentially more damaging than all the above to her position, but gains her an extremely powerful ally.

The scene where Chairman Seo asks Lawyer Ahn about Jae Hee is reminiscent of the previous recap, actually, where HN2 ponted out that if Eun Ki gets burned this time, she's done for as far as trust goes. Like father, like daughter - this is how he's raised her to be, and maybe to some extent it's in her blood. Chairman Seo is trying to trust a woman because he believes she's on his side; Eun Ki is trying at least to trust in Maru's motives, and not questioning him were she could easily gain the upper hand by doing so. At Charman Seo's age, someone being there as a family memeber, as a mother to your children, is important emotionally; he's trying to reconcile that need with his lifelong policy of mistrust. Eun Ki calling him on his overcompensation for this mistrust - his blindness to Jae Hee's manipulations - pisses him off because it cuts a little too close to home. It's classic King Lear, actually - Eun Ki's a perfect Cordelia, abrasive but honest; and Jae Hee is Goneril, especially the self-delusion in her weak moments, and potentially the wild-card vindictiveness.

Eun Ki finds herself in a similar boat with Maru, albeit not nearly as asymmetrical - she wants both to and not to trust him, mostly because he's almost taken the choice out of her hands - he breaks past her walls, calls her bluffs, puts her off-balance. You can bet the question is never so emotionally tinged in her mind, though - it's all a question of calculation, and motivation. If you think about it, they want almost exactly the same thing: Jae Hee pulled down. She wants to bank on that, but can't quite, because he's no friend of hers. But he does so much - saves her life twice, rescues her doll at his back's expense, get beaten up the next day for his sister's sake. She's not half as icy as she makes herself act, and the confusion is there - just under the surface, firmly tamped down while the mind games go on.

To some extent, she must be getting to him too. What he's trying to do is exactly as straightforward, if possibly more difficult than, his little episode 1 gold-digger game. He's the darkest horse of the bunch, and we know his biggest asset right now is that he's not afraid to go to extremes - not over this. But there are flashes - moments, where he's not quite so glib, where he doesn't have his mask all the way on - where I think there's hope that she might be getting to him. Just a bit.

Not that it would matter to him, at the end of the day. Eun Ki knows it, too - but it's still hard to resist when, first thng in the morning in another country, after a night of work and stress, this boy dumps you into a river and tells you to get your ass moving so we can kick butt. Ah, heartwarmth.

Even there in that scene, though, his innocent smile is starting to give me chills.

Dammit, the WRITING. Oh my sweet lord, the writing. It kills me. THIS - this, right here - is how you write melodrama. High stakes, complex games, characters who are human despite their best efforts to turn soulless, and the simple tragedy of absent trust. I have found my crack.

September 22, 2012 at 2:33 AM

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Dammit, I forgot to mention Maru/Jae Hee. The payoffversation.

I agree with HN2: it's almost funny how seriously he takes her being there. I do think it's as much an ideological position as a personal one, though he's not trying to hold her to his own ideologies so much as hers. Sure, it's personal, but look at how e phrases it: as if pigs are flying today, and dreams dying, because Han Jae Hee isn't occupying her place in the world. It's a solipsistic sort of statement, and betrays some of how he's thinking of this: he's setting the world as he sees it to rights. The fact that Jae Hee is such a pivotal part of his worldview tells us enough about whether he's over her or not. My guess: he hasn't forgiven her, and maybe he won't ever be able to, but he's not over her by a long shot. So much the worse for our femme fatale; it would be better for you if he were, though I suspect you'd hate that just as much. More fool you for even riskng it. You should have stayed with him.
On that regard, Jae Hee as a character fascinates me; why would someone with such a good life go grasping for more in such an unhappy, painful, tense situation as she's in right now? It's like she's a compulsive gambler: whatever I've got, I have to try and trade it up if I can, no matter the odds. It's her grasping that has set the ball rolling in every source of conflict we're looking at right now in the story, which makes her easy to cast as the villain of the piece; but if you think about it, character wise, there's not a soul around her who could claim moral superiority - except maybe Maru, and that 'maybe' is edgng closer to 'no' the more we learn about him and how far he's willing to go. Is her crime that she 'stepped out of her place', or 'messed with things'? Married above her station, outside of her age, because she wanted more from her life? The first two are subjective arguments and ultimately not relevant to the conflict or motives of anyone; as for wanting more and being unscrupulous about getting it, absolutely everyone around her is guilty of that.
She becomes the villainness only because she betrayed Maru. There's a reason the ninth circle of Dante's hell is for traitors. But that means, out of all the games being played right now, the only one in which justice can take a side is Maru vs. Jae Hee. The moral ambiguity of everyone else tends to just put them in one of these camps; but because, obviously, there are more important conflicts brewing in this world - Taesan, primarily - camps are actually already in place for that, and will probably absorb this other conflict seamlessly, acting as a playing field for it and other interactions and games.

September 22, 2012 at 7:51 PM

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I love what you say about Jae Hee being a compulsive gambler. It brings to mind how she told her son he has to get everything. I think the reason it's so easy to see Jae Hee as a villain also has to do with how she uses love strategically; she doesn't have a romantic view of it at all. Love is such a romanticized thing (I mean, look at how we're all rooting for Eun Ki and Ma Ru) and she's using it as a tool. It's interesting: I've seen folks call her a slut while sympathizing with Ma Ru. Definitely some gender shenanigans happening there. Around ep. 3 I saw the chairman as the ultimate villain of the show, but with how effortlessly Jae Hee hoodwinked him I actually found myself thinking, "Poor bastard"!

September 24, 2012 at 10:40 AM

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God, what brilliant comments, thefunofit and ladida.

I too find Jae Hee to be a fascinating character shrouded in mystery. There are so many things about her that we don't know, aside from her troubled past. Why and how did she begin a relationship with the Chairman? What was the nature of her murder? And what was she doing while Maru was in jail? There are any number of reasons that she might have begun her upward climb, ranging from the despicable to the greedy, to the ambitious, and even to the noble.

I think, at the core of her though--and why she is so scary--is her absolute lack of trust in anyone and anything. I think it was her inability to trust in the good life that she had with Maru that led her to destroy him. It's not a good life if you are in constant fear of losing it. This show is largely an exploration of the nature and corruption of trust, and how trust is an integral part of our humanity. With it, we are exposed and vulnerable, but without it, what is left? An empty hunger for more money, power, security? A compulsive need to win at any cost, without a thought to the limitations of the game?

What makes Jae Hee such a tragic and despicable character (in addition to her strategic use of love, as so eloquently articulated by ladida) is how efficiently and consistently she isolates herself. She reads the worst in those around her because she DOES the worst to those around her, and anything outside of this mentality does not compute. In her world, everyone is an antagonist and to be kept at arm's length and monitored.

We all talked about how paranoid Eun Ki is in the earlier recaps, but in my mind Jae Hee is even more paranoid because she does not trust even herself and thus cannot conceive of a Maru who cares more about her than what she did to him or the money she has essentially prostituted herself for. Or of a Eun Ki who cares more about her mother's death than the fate of the company or her place in it. She thinks that it is safer to view everyone as an enemy and try to control them, when in fact she is creating her own enemies by doing so.

September 24, 2012 at 7:33 PM

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Yeah, it's like Jae Hee's paranoia is ingrained. It's not something that can go away once she gets rid of her opponents or obstacles because she will always have those--she keeps on making them, even when there aren't any she sees them. Like what you wrote, "her inability to trust in the good life that she had with Maru that led her to destroy him" is so true, because even now, even with this new world that she's in, she still doesn't believe in it. She tells Ma Ru he can't imagine the world she's living in, but then she tells her own son that she can't imagine that same world and that she needs him to grab hold of that world for her. You know, I suspect that even of Ma Ru didn't try to drag her down, Jae Hee would probably drag herself down. She leaves too much destruction in her wake to stay on top too long.

But the most self destructive thing about her, which I don't think she even realizes, is that she has no real power of her own. She's like Voldemort splitting her life all over the place and leaving herself weak: she has power over lawyer Ahn, over the chairman, but without being able to control those men, what is she, what does she have? Nothing. Even without her son, she wouldn't be able to solidify her place in the chairman's home. Her power comes from her alliances and her ability to control those alliances, and since she controls them with things as mercurial as romantic love (on their parts, not hers) her hold on them is tenuous. Like if you look at Ma Ru, Jae Hee is actually pretty weak. One word from Ma Ru could destroy everything she's worked for. Ma Ru doesn't really need anyone to destroy Jae Hee. the reason he's using Eun Ki isn't just to get at Jae Hee herself, but to rip through her entire world. When Ma Ru was giving that (self righteous) speech at the dinner table, he expressed hatred for both her and the world she wnats to be in, and I feel like he's using Eun Ki for something much bigger than just Jae Hee, although I'm not sure what that is yet.

Even more interesting to me, Jae Hee surrounds herself with these men who she controls because they "love" her, right? Who does Eun Ki surround herself with? She has a lady secretary who's comfortable enough with her to give her advice and a gay (well, "gay" 'cause he's probably not) man servant person. These two have completely different ways of conducting their attacks.

September 22, 2012 at 2:30 AM

September 22, 2012 at 3:25 AM

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some people said NG does't need amnesia because this drama already good right now...the tension between character still have..So why need Amnesia.??
but My answer this drama will have a klimaks if they put amnesia in the story..that why i believe LKH writer-nim.,I think she will use amnesia as a weapon to break viewers heart soon!! Futhermore.,the one who'll get amnesia was MCW.,the most skillful emotion actress..Just wait...!! how Amnesia will be develope & EunGi will cut out our heart piecefully..

September 22, 2012 at 4:12 AM

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Speaking as someone who likes Moon too but these comments make me cringe. Bit excessive there when you're posting under many names too, HeroR, s'Hia, ect. She'll speak for herself through her acting. No need for you to try and convince the world on her behalf. Seriously.

September 22, 2012 at 3:47 AM

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OMG this show is just so good I can't sleep at night after watching it @_@ And all the songs of the OST are so good...thanks for the recap Heads!! ^__^

Well, I just love Eun Ki more than any character here. She's badass but among every character involved in the game, she's the most innocent one. It's funny because at the beginning, Jae Hee seems like she's all pure and kind, and Eun Ki seems like an arrogant wench. But actually the reality is not always what it seems to be...x)

I don't think Eun Ki knows the true face of Maru and what truly happened between him and Jae Hee. But I'm sure that a part of her is using him in order to hurt Jae Hee.

For now, even if I'm really impressed at Jong Ki's performance, I kinda hate Maru. At some point he's brave and kind-hearted concerning her sister, but concerning JaeHee, he's just lunatic. Sometimes he wants to make her suffer, then he still wants to get her back, I just don't get it. I want to see Maru getting his revenge on her, he's still too much in love with her, even after what she did.

So what I really hope is that Eun Ki's accident will be the starting point of THE REAL GAME. I also hope Maru will not use Eun Ki too much with her amnesia, because if he becomes too cruel, I don't know how I would be supposed to like the main character -_-"
So yeah I'd like him to get over Jae Hee as soon as possible. Well, at least being serious about his revenge.

And I really hope that Maru will eventually fall for Eun Ki, but I'm pretty sure it's the fate of this drama. It may not have a happy ending, but I don't really care about that. I just want to see Maru's walls fall.

September 22, 2012 at 4:18 AM

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Ok considering JH's little speech abt what she had to do to get there, now am starting to think her getting MR to take the fall for her was all part of the plan ans she knew 100% he would insist on saving her...or maybe that was just her bluffing, arrggh gimmie a hint here drama!
And for some reason i was hoping EK would call out MR's name on the phone after her confrontation with JH just to rattle her...but oh well...

September 22, 2012 at 9:24 AM

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My god. We already know this series will draw the amnesia card. For the love of me, please! No birth secrets!!

I couldn't sense it at all. I think the reason why Jae Hee is so determined to get up to the ladder is because she has all the reason to be - she has a legit child to help her get what she wants. It's not all because of obnoxiousness but because she has a child to protect as well.

I was about to type my theories but then I realized, I'm getting way too advance. :D

September 23, 2012 at 11:07 PM

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greets mcflan==

my thoughts exactly. when maru declared war, that thought popped into my head and then again when i saw the dad being wheeled out of the brunch. i was thinking, how in the heck did ol' ironsides "get it on?"

September 22, 2012 at 5:09 AM

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I wish I would get rid of this nagging feeling that Maru is in love with Jae Hee and will remain in love with her and needing her love for much of this series. It's one thing if he just wants revenge...bug dang! if he wants love, he's in for some major pain...and I will spend a great deal of time wanting to choke him.

September 22, 2012 at 2:45 PM

September 22, 2012 at 6:17 AM

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Thanks headsno2 for the recap, but especially for your comments. The one thing that puzzled me was how could Eun GI not know who Maru is, from her previous investigation she should have been able to recognize him. So thanks for making that clear.

I know that the murder that JH committed is part of the mystery but I found it strange that MY would not try and get the particulars on that. I guess I will have to wait longer on that.

September 22, 2012 at 8:29 AM

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I've never found myself so excited for shit to hit the fan as I am watching this drama. I am smiling in anticipation for Jae Hee's world to come crashing down in a burning splendor. Gah! This revenge stuff is fantastic. I need moar! I want him to be successful. I want Eun Ki to be successful. But most importantly I want Jae Hee to burn. Woot! I don't know if it's the coffee or the excitement for next week but my heart is racing.

September 22, 2012 at 8:46 AM

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I simply adore the brunch scene and eun gi's dialogues in this episode! Can picture them in love already and the fact that these two seem inseparable or act seemingly is just so fun to watch *you guys are so falling in love alright* So the problem at hand is whether or not eungi has an agenda of her own and given her over-independent-character I bet she does and is playing the guy too. But then again that's what most of us want to believe or they're leading us to and i know it sounds too good to be true PLEASE LET IT BE.
Btw how did our man get to japan that fast, bet he travelled at the speed of light after the damn phone call :* so either he's desperate to take the fugly whore down or maybe just maybe he really missed her like he claims and wanted to cheer her up ''kill them all'' yeah! They would make the best of friends too. But well I'm only settling for love between these two and nothing less. Every fan here should go checkout the fanmade kiss video, despite the cold stare he gives after kissing her i'm still going to tell myself he wanted that kiss haha. When it comes to maru i guess i'll just have to convince myself he's falling for her as well, that way i can be a happier. I know as the drama proceeds I'll be crying loads and whining at my screen but i just don't care! Going crazy over this damn drama and i freaking love your recaps, great insight.

September 22, 2012 at 11:47 AM

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i know seriously! Love her character.
I want to ask you something, have you seen any other dramas of this writer?
I've seen a love to kill and i really hated the ending, i just want to know if the writer follows some kind of pattern like killing off the leads and stuff in her other works as well. Love her style of writing though!

September 22, 2012 at 9:47 AM

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Dark, darker, darkest. Can't tell who's the craziest, cruelest or most disturbed. I'm just waiting for the camera to slowly pan in on a decapitated barbie doll sprawled out on the Aomori resort lawn - a sign of omen and foreboding to come.

September 22, 2012 at 9:58 AM

Thanks for the even better than the last one recap, which is tough, since the last one was sooo good, too.

I was thinking about how SJK was in WISFC, also written by Lee Kyeong Hee. It feels like she wrote the MR character to exactly what his strengths are as a personality and as an actor.

SJK is most beautiful being nasty and suspicious.
I don't trust any of his smiles. They make me nervous.
I spend half of the show rigid waiting for the next vicious sentence to rip a character apart. It's a great feeling!

If any one saw FotG, we had two versions of the Female Face-off there: the moms chefs going to toe-to-toe, and the younger chefs doing the same.
While the older actresses impressed me more in that show, they have NOTHING on this pair of foes.
Seriously, JH's venomously sweet smiles turn me cold. I gag every time she puts her hand on EG's hair* in that threatening way. EG's outright hostility makes me want to cheer.

*Interesting juxtaposition of MR doing the same thing when he dried EG's hair with the handkerchief, tenderly for a really long time (although unnecessarily as her hair was pretty dry.)

MCW's job, for the most part in this series, will be to stare at SJK, and talk to him within an arm's length. How can she NOT fall in love, and vice versa?